Riders who fly into Santa Barbara (SBA) will be shuttled to the Ballard Inn. Upon arrival, we will have lunch served at the staff house, where we’ll also build bikes and fit rentals to get ready for an afternoon spin (official check-in at The Ballard Inn is not until 4 p.m.). We’ll go on a mellow 20- or 30-mile cruise through the vineyards and ranchlands of the Santa Ynez Valley and do a pre-camp briefing before dinner at the Ballard Inn’s on-site Gathering Table restaurant.

Today’s Ride:

Arrival Spin in Ballard: 30 miles, ~1,500 feet of climbing, ~2 hours

Most queen stages are defined by a significant climb but do not let our Jalama beach route fool you. It is an epic route! This ride will be an endurance challenge with great climbs and lonely country roads. The Long Option starts at The Ballard Inn, and the shorter option shuttles the first 24 miles of the ride to the junction of iconic Highway 1. Once we turn towards Jalama Beach, we have another 14 miles to the Pacific Ocean and Jalama Beach. The secluded beach sits on the rugged coastline and has a small restaurant known for the Jalama Burger. The support van will have snacks to fuel us up before retracing our route back to Highway 1. Once reaching the highway, we will turn left towards Lompoc before heading onto Santa Rosa Road. This stretch of road is full of agriculture and vineyards. Before returning to Ballard, the final miles will bring us through Buellton and Solvang.

Today’s Ride:

Jalama Beach: 62-85 miles, 4,500- 5,500 feet of climbing, ~5+ hours

Mount Gibraltar is a challenge! The ride has steeper pitches, amazing views, and fun descents; it’s been used in the Tour Of California. The climbing starts after 10 miles; the bulk of the climb comes in a 10-mile stretch gaining 3,500’ at an average grade of 6.2%. We have an option to do a nice out-and-back along the ridgeline of the Santa Ynez mountains to extend the ride. We still have more climbing once you crest the ridgeline, but the descents offer a great reward.  We will finish up and have a short shuttle to Cold Springs Tavern for lunch before shuttling back to the Ballard Inn.

Today’s Ride:

Mount Gibraltar: 28-41+ miles, 4,700-6,100′, ~3+ hours

An easy valley spin is welcomed by most after a couple of solid days of riding. The route will include a coffee shop stop in Santa Ynez at The Bakers Table. Don’t worry we can always add miles :)

Today’s ride options:

Recovery Ride: 30 miles, 1,400 feet of climbing, ~2+hours

The Canyons ride has something for everyone: rolling hills, quiet roads, and plenty of vineyards and open spaces.  The route follows the wine trail North of Los Olivos on Foxen Canyon and climbs up Firestone hill, which offers an expansive view of the valley.  At Sisquoc, we head up Tepusquet and begin to gradually climb on a beautiful quiet road. At the top of the climb, guests can decide whether they want to drop down the backside of Tepusquet and turn around at highway 166. The descent is lovely, it feels like a European descent with many hairpin turns and very low traffic. The climb up the backside is slightly over 5 miles gaining 1,100’ and is a 5.5% average grade. From there, it’s a net loss as we follow the same route back to Fess Parker. The two rides above start and finish at Fess Parker Vineyard, if guests are looking for additional miles, we will have an option to start at The Ballard Inn. This option adds 8 miles and 800’.  All riders will finish at Fess Parker, and guests can do wine tasting post lunch or grab a bottle of wine to enjoy with lunch.

Today’s ride:

Foxen Canyon: The route options range from 48-58 miles, with 3,000–4,500′ , ~3-5+ hours

We’ll say goodbye to The Ballard Inn and shuttle riders back to Santa Barbara for departures. Checkout is 11 a.m. 

Shuttles to Santa Barbara in the morning. Checkout is 11 a.m.